School: Baile Mhic Dáibhid (Ballydevitte) (roll number 3854)

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1. Homemade Toys (continued)

   

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   Children, both boys and girls, find plenty of amusement in the making of toys. This is generally done in late Spring, in early Summer and in the beginning of Autumn. Girls amuse themselves by making dolls and stringing flowers into chains or girdles. Boys make tops, spinning-jennies, guns from the boortree, whistles, bird-cages and butterfly-cages. Most of these toys are still made in the district.

   When making a spinning-jenny one end of a spool is cut off and a stick is thrust through the hole in the remaining part so that one end of it appears at each side. The person who spins it catches one end of the stick and gives it a quick twist. The spool then revolves quickly on the other end of the stick. This is a favourite toy and provides much amusement. Boys make bow-and-arrows also. A stout piece of ash is cut and bent in the form of a semicircle. The ends are then joining by means of a strong cord. A fairly long rod is then cut to form the arrow. It is pointed at one end with a knife and a notch is cut in the other end to make the arrow stick firmly in the cord. When shooting, the arrow is stuck in the cord and caught between the thumb and index finger of the right hand

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. activities
      1. social activities (~7)
         1. entertainments and recreational activities (~5,933)
            1. toys (~1,598)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Patrick J. Muldoon

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   12

   Address

   Doonan, Co. Donegal

   Informant

   Bean Uí Maoldúin

   Relation

   Unknown

   Gender

   Female

   Age

   36

   Occupation

   Bean phósta

   Address

   Doonan, Co. Donegal